1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for processing flat, flexible objects, for example plastic or paper cards.
2. Related Art
Such an apparatus is known from EP-OS 0 574 745. The cards to be processed are stored as a stack in a magazine of the apparatus. Provided on the magazine is a retaining device that holds the stack in the magazine. For processing, one card of the stack at a time is grasped by a gripping device and singled out of the magazine past the retaining device.
The retaining device has two rotatably driven shafts whose cross-section is recessed in the area of the thickness of the card so as to form a shoulder. The depth of the shoulder is equal to the thickness of the card to be singled. This card lies before singling between the shoulders of the two driven shafts. By a rotation of the shafts the card is arched and can then be grasped by the gripping device and singled out of the magazine.
EP-OS 0 279 851 also shows an apparatus wherein the cards are stored as a stack in a magazine. A retaining device holds the stack in the magazine. One card of the stack at a time is grasped by a gripping device and singled out of the magazine past the retaining device.
During singling, the card being singled is first arched or retaining projections of the retaining device and then guided diagonally downward so that the card being singled passes out of the range of action of a retaining projection.
A disadvantage of known apparatuses is that due to their construction they are only suitable for singling a card of the stack.
Assuming this, the invention is based on the problem of providing an apparatus for processing flat, flexible objects permitting both a card of a stack to be singled and a card to be stacked as a card of the stack.
This problem is solved by the features of the main claim.